Truck roadworthiness in the spotlight

The NTC and NHVR have announced they have completed Phase One of the bodies' joint Heavy Vehicle Roadworthiness Review

The National Transport Commission (NTC) and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) have published their joint report, Heavy Vehicle Roadworthiness Review: Phase One – Report of Current Practice.

The 68-page document brings to a close the first phase of the review of heavy vehicle roadworthiness in this country, which was instigated following the Cootes Transport tragedy of October 1, 2013.

The CEO of the NTC, Paul Retter, said the report entails a full assessment of the current state of heavy vehicle maintenance.

"This Phase One report outlines current practice for ensuring heavy vehicle roadworthiness in Australia," he said.

"It’s essential to take this first step and get a clearer picture of how things are done now.

"In the past, most Australian research on roadworthiness focused on light vehicles, but we know the issues are often very different for heavy vehicles."

The review, which is being carried out collaboratively by both government bodies, focuses on heavy vehicle roadworthiness inspection regimes and the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (NHVAS), with the ultimate objective being the improvement of general standards of roadworthiness and a resulting decrease in accidents, serious injuries, and fatalities.

The CEO of the NHVR, Sal Petroccitto, said Phase One laid the foundation for the detailed investigation to follow.

"As the national regulator, we’re keen to know: what’s the current state of play in Australia and where are there inconsistencies?" he said.

The review could well see the current Chain of Responsibility laws extended to apply to those charged with maintaining a heavy vehicle's roadworthiness.

Mr Petroccitto said both the NHVR and NTC are inviting comment on heavy vehicle roadworthiness throughout the review.

"It is important to clearly state our findings at each stage of the review so that anyone who wants to contribute can present their evidence and suggestions for improvement," he said.

"Even though the first recommendations for the review are not due to go to Australia’s transport ministers until later this year, wherever possible we’ll put good ideas into action early."

The next stage of the review will examine the integrity of the current roadworthiness systems, with subsequent recommendations to be presented to state transport ministers in November 2014.

Comments can be forwarded to the NTC and the NHVR at RWprogram@ntc.gov.au.

Click here to view the Phase One report.

For more information visit www.ntc.gov.au or www.nhvr.gov.au.

Truck roadworthiness in the spotlight

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